DfID suspend procurement process of X-Ray machines in Malawi:  Demand investigations

Department of International Development (DFID), has written Malawi Government on behalf of Sector Wide Approach (SWAP) development partners to announce suspension of funding to the procurement of three Digital X-ray Machines process, following Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB)  issuing prohibition order on the same contract.

The x-ray machine in some public hospitals,  like Kamuzu Central, are broken down for a year now and the government is failing to fix the problem, another example of fast collapsing health sector as the economy has taken a slump pushing the government into bankruptcy.

In the DFID letter dated 12 February,2016, which Nyasa Times has seen addressed to Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Macphail Magwira,  DFID Senior Health Advisor to the Health Donor Group (HDG) Andrew McNee, says they have suspended all the process  leading to procurement of the  X-ray machines unless investigations are done over way Biocare Limited was awarded the contract.

“We are therefore requesting the appropriate agencies in Government to conduct this investigation as soon as possible and make this available to Health Service Joint Fund (HSJF),” reads the letter in part.

The DFID Senior advisor says Procurement Oversight Agent (POA) should provide a written report to the investigation and HSJF Management Group.

“Please note that subject to these steps being completed, the HSJF  suspend our approval given to the management Group for this procurement.”

Two sources from the Ministry of Health fingered some officers whom they said were not professional over the overall procurement process because of self greed.

On 5 February, 2016, a donor funded Health SWAP which is headed by Dr Rabson Kachala complained to donors in the letter Ref: Number HOSWAP/8, on  corruption allegations hovering over the procurement process.

“The alleged flouting of procedures in procurement in Health Sector is an example of the main chronic Cancer in Civil Service. Therefore I recommend that public Contractual Obligation Must be adhered to at all the times as recommended by Transparency International Secretariat Report on Malawi on 17 May 2005.”

The  advert appeared in the Nation newspaper on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, calling for the companies to supply, deliver, install, commission, 3 Digital X-ray Machines.

However the Ministry, despite indicating in their own advert that they want companies which have done the same job before and that they have demonstrated sound track records, they chose a company (Biocare) which was registered 3 months prior to the tender to supply the highly specialized equipment which will cost Malawi Tax Payers K1.1 billion.